The Father and Three Sons Golf Classic traces its roots back to 1935.  The location of the first event is unknown, but it was founded by the Tilden (Tilden-Rent-a-Car) family of Montreal and the Timmins (mining) family of Ontario, intended as a day for a few families to set aside and play golf in a friendly, yet competitive, fashion.

The original name was the “Noah A Timmins Memorial Tournament”, and it is believed that the name changed sometime in the early 1940's.   The event was cancelled during the Second World War for obvious reasons, but was re-kindled when the war ended and has been played every year since then. In 1981 a formal constitution was drawn up to provide rules and guidelines relating to the day's events.

Some of the most prestigious courses in Canada have hosted the event, including 4 of the 5 oldest clubs in North America:  Royal Montreal (the oldest golf course in North America and host of the 2007 President’s Cup), Brantford, London Hunt and St. Thomas, all of which predate 1900.  Other notable tracks include Beaconsfield, Lambton (1907, '10, '25 '41 Canadian Opens), Ottawa Hunt, Scarboro,  Stratford, Sunningdale, The Summit, Thornhill and Westmount (1957 Canadian Open).   Although the event was originally held in Quebec or Ontario, it has now largely played only in southern or central Ontario.

Some well known individuals and families have competed to win one of the cherished trophies: Tilden family (Tilden Rent-a-Car), Timmins family (mining), Smythe family (Toronto Maple Leafs), John D’Amico (Honoured Member of The Hockey Hall of Fame), Morland family (David Morland IV has played in numerous PGA events), Jack Nash (Golf Association of Ontario Hall of Fame Member). Gordon Coyle (Past President of the Royal Canadian Golf Association), Ron Ellis (Former Toronto Maple Leafs), Dr. Robert Elgie (Former Provincial Cabinet Minister). 

How and when New Families are welcomed into the tournament is defined in the Constitution, since there has historically been a waiting list to participate.  Welcoming a new family usually means that an Old Family has said goodbye for reasons beyond their control, since most families who are fortunate enough to experience this wonderful event turn it into an annual tradition.  Several families have enjoyed multi-generational involvement, where a son playing for several years has later entered the tournament as a father to his own three sons.  Throughout the years, there have been numerous families have played consecutively for over 30 years.

(Special thanks to Richard Luciani, Dan Herbert and Bruce Waite for researching and compiling much of the information contained in this section.)